L. Saucon Unit Ends Bill Dispute

December 18, 1985|by TAD MILLER, The Morning Call

Lower Saucon Township Water Authority Business Manager Linda Repsher announced to the board last night that a settlement has been made involving money owed by a township councilman for engineering services.

Repsher said judgment was made by District Justice Stephen Marcincin of Hellertown on Nov. 29 that Vice Mayor Dennis Benner should pay half of the original $300 bill.

Authority Chairman Edward Zouck announced at a February meeting that Benner owed the authority $300 for engineering services provided by a Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County, firm the authority has used - Betz, Converse and Murdock.

Zouck has said the authority put the services on its bill with the understanding that Benner would repay the debt. Despite bills sent to him, Benner never paid the fee. As a result, the matter was taken before Marcincin.

Zouck said after the meeting that the engineering services were incurred when Benner had plans drawn for proposed water lines in Pheasant Run. He said authority engineers received the drawings for comments and recommendations.

Benner, however, when contacted by The Morning Call, said he first suggested taking those plans directly to the engineer to expedite matters. However, the authority said it should deliver the plans. Benner said he showed the plans to the authority at a public meeting but thought he took them back.

Benner said those plans must have been reviewed by the engineers at some point. "I assume they must have (reviewed them) or they wouldn't have sent the bill, but they didn't get them (the plans) from me," he said.

Benner said he never paid the bill because he never engaged the Plymouth Meeting firm. He also said he had a dispute with the authority.

He said authority members said at a public meeting that there was acid in the Pheasant Run wells. He said he was close to selling two homes there, but those potential buyers backed out when they read of the matter in the newspapers.

He said that he believed these statements about the wells were made without testing or sound basis. He also said he was unable to sell the homes until several months later, costing him $10,000.

At this point, Benner said, "I'd just as soon bury the hatchet."

In another matter, the board informally discussed a November Morning Call article which outlined comments from various officials toward merging the three current township water systems, as has been suggested at previous council meetings. Township residents are served by the Lower Saucon Township Authority, the Wydnor/University Heights Authority and a township-run system in Bingen.

"It (a merged system) would seem to make sense, instead of three small ones," said member Marvin Truebenbach. "It's certainly worth exploring."

Repsher said a merger would avoid confusion among customers. "The police department (dispatchers) go nuts trying to figure out whose customers they are," she said about times when residents call in problems.

The consensus was that merger might be a good idea. However, Zouck said he has still not been approached by township officials. Members said they would welcome proposals on the matter.